WASHINGTON — On Saturday, President Donald Trump is set to join mourning families at Dover Air Force Base to honor the dignified transfer of six U.S. soldiers who lost their lives in the Middle East conflict.
The dignified transfer is a solemn ceremony that marks the return of fallen service members, and it is considered one of the most profound responsibilities for any U.S. president. During his first term, Trump remarked that witnessing the transfer was “the toughest thing I have to do” as president.
Before traveling to Delaware, Trump addressed a summit of Latin American leaders in Miami. He referred to the deceased soldiers as heroes who are “coming home in a different manner than they thought they’d be coming home.” Trump also vowed to minimize American casualties in the ongoing war efforts.
The soldiers who perished are identified as Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, from White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, from Winter Haven, Florida; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, from Sacramento, California; Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, from Indianola, Iowa; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, from Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, from West Des Moines, Iowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist.
All six soldiers were part of the Army Reserve’s 103rd Sustainment Command, based in Des Moines, Iowa. They were killed in a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait, just a day after the U.S. and Israel commenced military operations against Iran. The 103rd Sustainment Command is tasked with providing essential supplies such as food, fuel, water, and ammunition, as well as transport equipment.
Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, a combat veteran, expressed deep gratitude following the identification of the soldiers. “These soldiers engaged in the most noble mission: protecting their fellow Americans and keeping our homeland secure,” she stated. “Our nation owes them an incredible debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.”
During the ritual, transfer cases draped with the American flag and holding the remains of the fallen soldiers are carried from the military aircraft that transported them to an awaiting vehicle to take them to the mortuary facility at the base. There, the service members are prepared for their final resting place.
Amor’s husband, Joey Amor, said earlier this week that she had been scheduled to return home to him and their two children within days.
“You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts,” Joey Amor said.
O’Brien had served in the Army Reserve for nearly 15 years, according to his LinkedIn account, and his aunt said in a post on Facebook that O’Brien “was the sweetest blue-eyed, blonde farm kid you’d ever know. He is so missed already.”
Marzan’s sister described him in a Facebook post as a “strong leader” and loving husband, father and brother.
“My baby brother, you are loved and I will hold onto all our memories and cherish them always in my heart,” Elizabeth Marzan wrote.
Coady was among the youngest people in his class, trained to troubleshoot military computer systems, but he impressed his instructors, his father, Andrew Coady, told The Associated Press.
“He trained hard, he worked hard, his physical fitness was important to him. He loved being a soldier,” Coady said. “He was also one of the most kindest people you would ever meet, and he would do anything and everything for anyone.”
Khork’s family described him as “the life of the party” who was known for his “infectious spirit” and “generous heart” and who had wanted to serve in the military since childhood.
“That commitment helped shape the course of his life and reflected the deep sense of duty that was always at the core of who he was,” according to a statement from his mother, Donna Burhans, his father, James Khork, and his stepmother, Stacey Khork.
Tietjens, who came from a military family, previously served alongside his father in Kuwait. When he returned home in February 2010, he reunited with his overjoyed wife in a local church’s gym.
Tietjens’ cousin Kaylyn Golike asked for prayers, especially for Tietjens’ 12-year-old son, wife and parents, as they navigate “unimaginable loss.”
Trump most recently traveled to Dover in December to honor two Iowa National Guard members and a U.S. civilian interpreter who were killed in an ambush attack in the Syrian desert. He attended dignified transfers several times during his first term, including for a Navy SEAL killed during a raid in Yemen, for two Army officers whose helicopter crashed in Afghanistan and for two Army soldiers killed in Afghanistan when a person dressed in an Afghan army uniform opened fire.
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